


Shifting Perspectives

by Esmethewitch



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Australia, Alternate Universe - Magical Realism, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Animal Death, Crack, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Gen, Handwavy Science, Humor, Platonic Relationships, Shapeshifting, Vet Rose Tico, Veterinary Clinic, Werewolves, Why Did I Write This?, Worldbuilding, environmentalist themes, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:01:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28497972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Esmethewitch/pseuds/Esmethewitch
Summary: Rose Tico is a veterinarian based near Brisbane who loves her life, the natural world, and her career. She has an awesome roommate, Poe, a werewolf and a gentleman. They have a cute dog. She helps sick cats, dogs, and wildlife. But she has a little problem: every full moon, she shifts into a koala bear following a nasty bite after a rescue. It's inconvenient and dangerous. On top of that, the park by her neighborhood is threatened with development.One day, her friend Jannah brings in a platypus in distress. The platypus turns into a naked man.All Armitage Hux wanted to do was his job. He would survey this parcel of vacant land for a new subdivision for First Order Estates, then he'd go home to his cat. But one full moon, out working late, he is attacked by a very angry platypus. He tries to get into his car to leave, but for some reason the door won't open. He goes to a cafe for help and food, but someone stuffs him into a crate.Maybe this cute little vet will give him answers.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Rose Tico
Comments: 7
Kudos: 9





	Shifting Perspectives

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to the Gingerrose Discord folks for enabling me.  
> FYI this is NOT ABO or furry stuff, so if you like that move along, there's nothing to see here.  
> If you are Australian, I'm sorry for inflicting this upon you.
> 
> "Brumbies" are feral horses. Jannah is part of a program to catch & geld them so the population will be reduced without having to kill them.
> 
> I actually did a little research for this. I don't know why.

Rose Tico groaned as her flatmate Poe Dameron stomped into her room and yanked up the blinds, Beebee in tow. Sunlight cut through her closed eyelids like a hot knife through butter. Beebee’s claws clicked on the hardwood floor as the one-eyed little cattle dog circled her bed, eager to start the day with his friends.

“Oi! Rosie, it’s time to get up and go jogging! We can go get coffee after.” Rose rolled over, burying her face in the pillow.

Poe marched closer, like some maniacally friendly drill sergeant crossed with an aerobics instructor. “Wakey wakey!” He ripped the duvet from her clenched hands.

“Go ‘way,” she grumbled. Though she wasn’t working late last night, she didn’t sleep much. The previous day had been very hard. 

One horrible middle-aged lady had insisted she clip her cat’s nails free of charge (Rose declined) and resisted all of Rose’s efforts to discuss a new diet, never mind that the poor thing was well on his way to developing diabetes. There was another cat that had been hit by a car, and the resulting jaw surgery was easier than they initially thought it would be, but gruesome.

Worst of all was the appointment to euthanise a lovely elderly man’s good old dog. Mr. San Tekkla had cried on her shoulder. 

“I think I won’t have any more dogs after this one,” he said, trying to stop the tears from flowing. “We had a good long run together, we did. And I don’t think I’ve got many years left here on Earth.”

Rose choked up herself. Mr. San Tekkla and Teedo had been coming into this clinic for the annual shots and checkups ever since she started working here. As far as she knew, the man had no living wife or family. He’d been a lecturer in World Religions at the University of Queensland before retiring, throwing every ounce of energy he had into writing and teaching. She patted his hand.

“You gave him a wonderful life,” she said, pushing on. “I know this sounds insensitive, but I think you need to have a dog around. They’re such good animals. I don’t mean right now, but in a few months, will you at least think about it?”

He shook his head. “No. Can’t see me chasing after a puppy, can you?”

“I don’t mean a puppy. There’s a lot of old dogs in shelters that need homes. Old fellows that have slowed down a bit and need someone to retire with. That might work out for you. Just think about it. Please?”

He said he’d think about it. 

In the springtime Saturday sun, Beebee trotted over to her bedside, jumped up on his hind legs, and proceeded to lick her in the face. 

Rose giggled, pulling away and getting up. “Fine. I’ll go jogging with you. Just let me put on some real clothes first.”

Poe smirked. “ ‘Keep me accountable so I can meet my exercise goals,’ you said. ‘Don’t give me any slack’, you said.”

“That sounded so much better last New Years!” She threw a pillow at his head. Poe ducked and sprinted away.

Dressing quickly and zipping her phone into her windbreaker pocket, Rose realized how much she truly needed Poe. The man was a whirlwind of energy, while she was a wallflower who stayed in too much for her own good. He’d visited her every day when she was hospitalized with a concussion, an infection from a bite, and unidentified drastic changes in her caecum. 

Miraculously, he’d been able to spot the signs her gastrointestinal specialists missed. And even more thankfully, he’d gently but firmly grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and dragged her back inside through the window with his superior strength so she wouldn’t be hanging naked from the eucalyptus tree in the front yard  _ again  _ and scandalize Mr. Peavey, the old neighborhood busybody. 

They’d had many long chats after she returned home from hospital. He’d shared things about himself, and suddenly it all made sense. How Poe knew what was wrong with Beebee before she, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine could finish the examination. The conversations this strange, wonderful man had with his dog, Beebee yapping, and Poe barking gently in reply.

His large, physically affectionate and exuberant extended family. The chocolate allergy. His “spiritual retreats” to the woods every full moon. His hyper awareness of people at the front door. The dark, thick, long hairs coating every surface in their living room in the beginning of each Spring, which Poe would frantically vacuum up with a sheepish look on his face. The one drunken evening (never mentioned again) Rose found herself wrapped in Poe’s arms, heart pounding, while Poe sloppily kissed her, and Rose eventually swatted him away because the entire experience was akin to being licked by a friendly puppy.

Rose knew that werewolves existed, of course, but it was very rude to bring it up unless the other person did. She was obviously Asian, but that did _not_ entitle anyone who asked to a summary of her grandparents’ journey from Vietnam to Australia during the war or Pho restaurant recommendations. She surmised that a family history of lycanthropy was similar. 

And perhaps a lifetime of trashy novels had conditioned her into thinking that werewolves were hulking, brooding, flannel-shirted white men with names like “Lars”, “Alexei”, and “Colton”. Even though her education had taught her that canids were mostly gregarious pack animals. 

She puffed along as they jogged through their sleepy neighborhood in the Brisbane suburbs, past the cheap little houses with manicured lawns and neat shrubbery. Poe had an easy, long stride and Beebee followed him eagerly. Rose dragged behind them. She was not a canid. But she wasn’t a quitter either. Her butt and thighs jiggled, her lungs were on fire, but she kept going.

Poe abruptly stopped in front of the trailhead of the local nature preserve. She skidded to a halt beside him, having finally picked up speed. “What?”, she panted. 

“That sign wasn’t there last time,” he muttered, pointing at a large wide sign proclaiming: “COMING SOON FROM FIRST ORDER ESTATES: The Riverwalk. Custom, quality family homes, conveniently located.” 

A small clearing had appeared, with a construction trailer sitting on it like a large lipoma on a labrador retriever. But unlike the average fatty tumor, this new development would spread and raze all in its path. There was a flashy-looking black car parked in one of the spots normally occupied by a busy mother’s sensible minivan.

“Where are they gonna build them, the river? I should go in that trailer and give those arseholes a piece of my mind…”

“Rose. We came out here to exercise so you’d be  _ less  _ stressed.” Poe was taking photographs of the sign, the trailer, and the car with his phone. “They had to have changed the zoning here pretty fast; it’s weird we haven’t heard anything about that.”

“It’s a CRIME, that’s what it is!” She was shaking with rage. This little park had access to the river, a couple miles of trails, and provided valuable habitat for many animals. Best of all, it had eucalyptus trees. If they were destroyed, and she somehow got stuck in the other form...no, she couldn’t contemplate that. Whoever these people were, it should have been illegal for them to build here.

“I know, Rose. This is bad. But I know people in the Land Trust, on City Council. Some of them are Brisbane Pack. All of these people know more people. People who would get up in arms about this. We’ll pull together, and these First Order Estate buggers will probably get sued.” He threw an arm over her shoulder. “Okay? I’m texting some of them now, and showing them the sign.”

“Okay.” 

“Let’s keep on walking. We  _ will  _ do what we can about this, but I’m not letting you tie yourself to trees or try to maul a builder. I don’t want to have to visit you in jail. That would be a lot of bother. They frisk you when you go in, you know.”

“Thanks, Poe.” Her phone rang in her pocket. It was Jannah Storm, fellow veterinarian, occasional colleague, and good friend from her uni days. “Jannah’s calling!” She picked up.

“Hello?”

“Rose! Are you busy right now?”

She glanced at the sign and the trailer. “It depends. Why?”

“The craziest thing just happened! I stopped in at the cafe near the main shopping center, I was going to keep driving out to Carnarvon for the gelding. I texted the field team to tell them I’ll be late. I sent them a picture too. There was a platypus in the cafe!”

“WHAT?!”

“It was in line by the counter. It stood there like it was going to order a latte. It pushed up to the counter, and tried to stand up on its hind legs. It made this weird chirring noise, I’ve never seen one up close before. Aren’t they supposed to be nocturnal?”

“Yes, they are,” said Rose, unsure if Jannah was pranking her. 

“Weird. I wouldn’t know, I am but a simple woman who only knows horses and cattle. But  _ you  _ do wildlife and exotics too, you’re only half-time in the dog-and-cat business now and you’re on rotation at the zoo, aren’t you?”

“Uh huh…”

“Can you look at it? If it’s walking into a cafe near Brisbane in broad daylight, it’s clearly not well.”

“Yes! Do you have it in anything?”

“It’s in a dog carrier on a towel.”

Sweat rolled down Rose’s neck. “Do you know the gender?”

“No. Wait. Oh, shit. The venom.”

“Jannah! Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I caught the thing by putting half a muffin into the carrier, then closing the door.”

“HOW?”

“Well, I think it saw or smelled the food, then it wanted it and went in. Don’t worry, there wasn’t any chocolate or anything in it, and I took off the waxed paper. It ate it. I know that probably wasn’t healthy, but it was what was there.”

“I think they mostly only eat shrimps!” This was a very sick platypus indeed. “Bring it over to the wildlife shelter. I’ll tell them I’ll be in. They have a post-op bandicoot that I should probably check over anyway, while I’m there.”

“Great. See you there, Rose. I’ll see if cutting the balls off the brumbies can wait a while. I’ve only seen these things in zoos.”

Rose dashed home, making a new personal speed record with Poe and Beebee in her wake. “Jannah found a platypus in a cafe!”, she shouted by way of explanation.

“Was it wearing a fedora?”

“It’s probably got fungal disease! Will explain later, once I learn what the fuck it was doing in a cafe and why it ate a muffin!”

She changed from her workout gear into cargo pants and one of her good long-sleeved work shirts from her “wildlife shelter” pile of clothes. These were stripped off and laundered right when she came home.

After a short drive to the shelter, she hopped out of her car and dashed into the office.

“It’s Saturday, Rose,” said Jen, the senior vet tech currently on desk duty.

“I know! Jannah’s bringing in a  _ platypus.  _ In a dog crate. She doesn’t know the gender. It’s Spring. We’ll need to sedate it in case it’s male and the venom is flowing. And the thing is SICK.”

Jen sighed. “Do you think it’s mucormycosis?”

“Don’t know. Didn’t get enough info over the phone. This is the mainland, so I’d be surprised if that’s what it is.”

Jen pursed her lips and took a sip of coffee. “We’ve got it in the soil here. We know it’s infecting the Tasmanian populations. I think it’s only a matter of time before it gets to them here.”

With this grim thought, they set to preparing the examination room. One of Jen’s interns took up her post at the desk.

“Bandicoot’s doing well,” Jen told her. “The antibiotics worked, and it’s walking a lot now.”

“Good.”

Then, they waited. Jannah burst in, a dog carrier in hand. “Here he is, the sick little bugger,” she said. “Or maybe he’s perfectly fine, for a platypus. Or she. Didn’t get a good look at the back flippers.”

She set the carrier on the examination table. The carrier was rocking.

“Let’s see if we can figure out the gender, first,” said Rose. “If it’s female, we’ll just wrap her in a towel. If it’s male…”

They all three exchanged glances. “We can jab it with a syringe?” Jannah bit her lip.

“Gas,” said Jen. “We can give Mister Platypus a good nap without having to touch him, if we can fit this carrier into the standard chamber. Then, we can examine him. Nobody gets stabbed with a spur.”

“This is why I stick to horses.” Jannah cringed. “Worst they can do is kick you in the face or bite you, but they usually warn you first. No paralyzing venom.”

They stared at the creature through the mesh door of the dog carrier. It thrashed around in circles, fat paddle-tail thumping and claws scratching. It turned away from them, and Rose could make out two well-defined spurs. Damn it. 

Jannah’s phone buzzed. “They need me at Carnarvon,” she said. “So I must go. Let me know how he does. It was still cool to see him.” She hugged Rose. “We need to meet up for coffee or drinks sometime. Text me when you’re free. I’m staying at the park for the next two weeks, we’re trying to see to the whole herd.”

“I will,” Rose said. She missed Jannah. The woman would have been a beautiful calvary warrior in another time and place, galloping across plains on a stallion towards victory. Here and now, she was a former champion show-jumper and equine veterinarian trying to rescue feral horses, stomping around in riding boots and muddy breeches, her hair in thick braids or behind a scarf. 

“We all have our specialties. I’m glad yours is turning into wildlife and exotics. You’re amazing with koalas. It’s almost as though they talk to you. You could come to Carnarvon! There’s talk about starting a koala survey program there, maybe tracking.”

Rose cringed. She didn’t want to think about koalas right now. The full moon was fast approaching. “Bye, Jannah. I’ll let you know how the crazy platypus does.”

Jannah left to continue her journey, and Jen went to the next room to rig up the gas. Rose peered more closely at her patient. Its fur was a lighter reddish brown than most of the specimens she’d seen, but still sleek with no visible lesions that would have indicated mucormycosis, the disease ravaging its relatives in Tasmania. This individual was also rather large.

“You aren’t supposed to like muffins,” Rose whispered. “Or be active this time of day in a shopping center. What’s wrong?”

The platypus glared at her with beady little eyes.  _ What’s wrong with you?,  _ it seemed to ask.

She turned away to continue filling out intake forms for this most unusual patient. Normally, one of the techs or older interns would have done this, but she took a perverse satisfaction in noting that it had been captured in a cafe and ate half of a muffin. 

There was a shaking from the table. Then, a scream. A  _ human  _ scream. She turned to find the platypus gone, and a nude, pale red-haired man crammed into the crate like a jack-in-the-box in his place. His green, bloodshot eyes darted around like caged wild beasts. His face was sunburned and peeling, and his rice noodle-like limbs were dotted with scrapes and bruises.

“Get me out of this crate. Immediately.” He spoke with an irritatingly posh accent, as though Rose was a barista who left out one pump of vanilla syrup in his frappe.

Jen returned, gaped at this spectacle, and began screaming herself. “Where is the platypus and what have you done with it? Why are you exposing yourself to us at a WILDLIFE HOSPITAL? I am calling the police, see if I don’t…”

“Jen, I’ve got this.”

“You’ve got this? Rose, this man is a deranged lunatic, probably some kind of pervert for shipping himself to you in this box.”

“He’s not.”

“He’s got ears,” came the voice from the crate. 

“Trust me, Jen,” Rose said. “I think I know what happened to this guy. Get some spare scrubs, large, and get a wrench off the boys who are making the new bird enclosures.”

“A WRENCH?”, the crated man howled.

“Relax. This carrier is the kind that’s held together by bolts in the corners. That means if you stay nice and still for us, we can take it apart and let you out. We don’t have to saw the top off. Because there’s no way your shoulders will fit through the door.”


End file.
